Monday, September 21, 2009

Stir-Fry 'Sea Asparagus' & A Week Of Deprived Connectivity!

I lived through the whole of last week without a computer & the Internet. And what made it worse was that I wasn't on any extended holiday after my HK trip! Long story short...I had to make an unplanned trip to Kuala Lumpur to attend to some personal matters. I think I've read more copies of Reader's Digest in the last 1 week (to fill up the rest of my free time there) than I've ever did in my lifetime! It got me imagining living a life reversed back to the days of pre-Internet!! I wondered if the Internet did not exist in the first place, what would I be doing right now. I realized I'm unable to immediately think of an answer given how pervasive the Internet has permeated my life. I found myself missing my blog, my blog friends & their blogs, my Facebook, my email accounts, Google, Wikipedia and the whole universe of the online system! Ahhhh...how good it feels to be back at home & online!

Anyway, below is a really simple dish I cooked prior to my travel last week which I had no time to post it then. I've been keeping a can of imported Chilean sea asparagus (the seafood variety) in my pantry for the longest time and I was figuring out how & what to cook it with. So, I decided to prepare a simple, slightly spicy stir-fry with a variety of veggies. First of all, don't be confused by the name on the can if you happen to see it in the supermarkets (sorry, I've forgotten to take a picture of the can with its label). Although it was written 'sea asparagus' on the can label, it is not the plant variety which grows abundantly along salt marshes, beaches and mangroves. It is in fact, a variety of razor clams. In Malaysia, it is known as 'bamboo clams', and in Spanish, 'concha navaja' (watch this video to see a swimming clam). If you have not eaten it before, it has a mild & delicately chewy texture, and is delicious whether steamed with sauces or stir-fried. These clams live on the sandy seabed and they camouflage themselves against being preyed upon by digging & hiding in the sand. The best time to 'collect' these clams are during low tide season.

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Here's the recipe:

Blend to a paste:
3 fresh chillies
4 shallots
2 pips garlic
2 candlenuts

1 can seafood 'sea asparagus'/razor clams
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
Snow pea
Cauliflower florets
2-3 tbsp cooking oil
Salt to taste

Heat the cooking oil in a wok/pan and saute the blended paste till fragrant. Mix in the clams and stir fry under high heat for about 40 seconds. Add in all the vegetables, salt to taste and stir fry for 3 minutes. Cover with a lid for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and serve with rice.

Cheers,

19 comments:

  1. I love asparagus! This dish looks so tasty!

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  2. I didn't know razor clam also called as sea asparagus!! today I learned something new!! thanks FOR THE INFO:)next time bring laptop wt you ma,so you still can get connnect while on vacation..lol!

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  3. This looks really tasty! ahh...I can't live without internet.

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  4. The stir-fry looks delicious! Nice and spicy. Come to think of it, I'm not sure what my life would be like without the Internet. There was life before it; surely there is life after it too. But I can't imagine!

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  5. Such a delicious, beautiful stir fry! I love all the bright colors!

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  6. This is really an easy recipe, thanks for sharing :)

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  7. i would be very miserable without internet here, since i have plenty of time at home! :( and i understand your situation in Malaysia a lot hehe!
    Very good explanation about the clam, first i thought it was the asparagus veggy we always eat. :D
    Looks very spicy! i like it!

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  8. Sea asparagus, sugar peas, cauliflower and carrots...a plate full of delicacy!

    Angie's Recipes

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  9. I've never heard of Chilean sea asparagus! Yum!

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  10. What a delicious dish with razor clams! Fun to learn that they are also called "sea asparagus"!

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  11. Very interesting video. I loved watching it. The dish looks yummy too. Welcome back to the internet!

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  12. Gosh! the recipes you post are so tempting. How do I get through them?? This one looks delicious .

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  13. I like sea asparagus, always the one who pick it fast when attend the wedding dinner!hahaa... Thanks for sharing, will add into my long "to cook" list! :-p

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  14. *Talita*, although they are labeled sea asparagus on the can, but they are actually razor clams.

    *Beachlover*, I didn't know it myself till I Googled high & low to find the meaning of this seafood variety of sea asparagus.

    *pigpigscorner*, *Palidor*, thanks! The internet is just too indispensable.

    *Barbara Bakes*, *Anncoo*, *Sophie*, *Angie*, *Sonia*, *Keats* thanks for your comments :D

    *cooking practice*, even the sea asparagus (plant variety) is also different from those that we buy in the markets.

    *Chef Fresco*, apparently Chile & Peru produce & export a lot of this clam variety in cans.

    *5 Star Foodie*, I only learned about razor clams being labeled as sea asparagus recently too.

    *Foodie with Little Thyme*, the clam in the video is so cute heh! Too bad it became food for people :D

    *Wendy*, would love to see your post shld you try it or cook in other version.

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  15. don't think we can survive for a whole week w/out internet!! sorta sad, but sometimes it just feels good to our butts planted right in front of the computer...hehe

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  16. It's funny - I just got back from my parents' house in upstate New York, where they refuse to get an Internet connection and don't own a computer. It's amazing how much free time I had with no Internet... This looks delicious!

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  17. Looks delicious! I'll have to look for 'sea asparagus.' I think I'd have withdrawal symptoms if I had to live without internet for a whole week! Welcome back.

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  18. *Ravenous Couple*, i know what you mean..being addicted to the internet is not so healthy, yet we can't help it.

    *Fearless Kitchen*, i was at my in-law's hse in Kuala Lumpur & same as your situation, there isn't any Internet connection there nor a working computer :(

    *Lisa*, have fun looking for sea asparagus but do take note of the difference between the plant & seafood variety.

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